Admiring the work and dedication of architects around the world

If any of you are in the market for a new home or building, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind before you get going. As I briefly talked about before, you really shouldn’t take on any big projects on your own unless you have years of experience and know exactly what you are doing. This goes for any architectural buildings and structures, including your home.

Save Yourself The Headache

As much as all of us guys would like to think that we are capable of building anything we put our minds to with our bare hands, the truth of the matter is that the majority of us aren’t as handy as we would like to think we are. I have countless friends who begin some sort of home improvement project and end up doing more damage than good at the end of the day. I have seen even more cases of real damage done by home owners on some of the restoration projects I have been a part of for my company.

The biggest thing to keep in mind when looking for help is to make sure that you only hire contractors with years of experience like this for any major work done to your house. Unfortunately, there are companies out there who like to advertise that they have all of their paperwork in order and are completely licensed & insured, but that can mean a lot of different things and is not always what you might think.

Can’t Be Too Careful

These days finding a reliable company is right at our fingertips with the internet, but that doesn’t mean you can trust just anyone. For example, when a business claims that they are “insured,” it could simply mean that they are covered for their property but not yours.

Luckily for me, I work for a very trusted and reputable company that makes sure to always have all of our paperwork ready to hand over at any time. When restoring and weather proofing buildings at my job, we always make sure to hand everything over before our clients even ask. This is a great way to know that whoever you found is genuine and won’t try to keep anything hidden from you.

I would like to take this time to let you know to take everything that I have talked about so far with a grain of salt because remember, I am not a professional architect or anything like that with any formal training and everything comes from my personal experiences and opinions.

On the last one I talked about what other materials you can use for certain buildings or houses instead of using wood, but that one actually does come from a little bit of experience from my job working for a home restoration company.

Licensed & Insured

So unless you are a professional yourself or have had some formal training and/or education, you should always use contractors that are licensed & insured for any and all work that you have done on a home or office building. There are a lot of companies out there who like to advertise that they have all of their paperwork in order and up to date, but unfortunately that can mean a lot of different things and is not always as sure fire as they like to make it sound.

Although you can take some of what I have talked about on here into consideration, you probably shouldn’t do more than that. There are a million different companies out there that do all kinds of repair or remodeling work who have years of work and experience under their belt. These are the guys you need to listen to closely.

Yesterday I briefly talked about what I do for a living and some of the things I have seen happen to people and their homes on the job. One of the most devastating things that I have seen people fall victim to termites taking over and literally eating away at their homes. The worst part about it is that the damage that termites can do to a house is usually irreversible once the they are finally discovered.

They can live anywhere inside your house and unless you do a proper inspection every once in a while, chances are pretty small that you will even know that they are there. Since I work for a home restoration company, I have experience in knowing what to look for and identifying a potential threat. If you are not as fortunate to have such experience, there are a ton of resources online with loads of information on preventing pests from taking over.

Metal or Concrete If You Can

In addition to much stronger support and protection, using metal or concrete for your home or building can help to eliminate bugs from doing thousands of dollars worth of damage before they even have a chance to. Termites, ants, bees, and a ton of other pests can eat through wood with ease and obviously don’t find concrete or metal as appetizing.

The added support from such material will also add years onto the total lifespan of any structure or home and pretty much eliminates any real need for restoration in the near future, in addition to stopping bees and wasps right in their tracks. This goes for all architectural styles and designs that I have talked about so far and in general.

The only downside to using less wood for the foundation of your house is the cost. Going this route is definitely going to cost you a significant amount more than the more traditional use of wood but if this is something you are fortunate enough to be able to afford I highly recommend doing so. I have literally seen houses destroyed beyond repair because of the old wood that was used and neglected over the years.

As architecture and building structures are getting more advanced as time goes on, I have noticed that less and less people are using the more traditional style of wood for a lot of their homes and I think this is an important topic to bring up. Modern homes are getting more stylish and the way they are being built is a very smart progression for reasons that you might not think.

Avoid A Major Headache…

So I work for a company that focuses on home restorations and we help restore homes that fall victim to a number of different circumstances. One of these circumstances is having termites take over your home and destroy the entire foundation. Take a look at this link to see how much damage these little creatures can do. They are not exaggerating at all and I have seen the damage they can do first hand.

This happens much more often to older homes who use a type of wood that was much more popular many years ago and I highly recommend using as little wood as possible for any home or building. As the years go by I have noticed that these types of homes and buildings are becoming less popular and not only does it make sense in an architectural way, it can end up saving your entire home in the long run.

Needless to say, we really don’t see too many examples of architecture from the dark and middle ages these days. What we do see though is work done by professional contractors in our every day lives that are just as impressive as those massive creations from the past.

I don’t just mean skyscrapers and huge buildings when I am referring to this work. Every house that has ever been built is an amazing example of how far we have come as a society and 99% of the population doesn’t think twice about it.

Styles of Homes

What I love about living here in America is that there are so many different styles of homes and buildings and one has its own style of architectural design that has to be done to make it work and stand.

I have done quite a lot of traveling since I moved here to America and have been to a number of different states, taking note of how the buildings and homes were designed and built. For example, I was at a work convention in Nebraska and where I was staying, the majority of the homes and buildings were more of a “farmy” style and really was different than any other city I have ever seen.

Then a month later I was visiting Oklahoma and I was kind of expecting the same thing but was instead pleasantly surprised to see a much more modern vibe around the state. I noticed that the homes were bigger and much more modern designs especially in roofing Tulsa. I was kind of expecting to see more of that country feel and design that I saw in Nebraska, but instead saw neighborhoods filled with updated homes and amazing renovations done.

On the topic of roofing, even working on offices and buildings seemed to be more in with the modern times as far as architecture styles go in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The designs were much more along the lines of what you would see in the bigger cities that I have talked about earlier. I think what I saw kind of fit Nebraska’s image and reputation which is awesome and even having to replace or reshingle your house can be considered architecture. They definitely weren’t doing any of that in the middle ages.

The whole world of architecture is so vast and amazing. Many people probably don’t realize how many different actual styles there are and it doesn’t get the recognition and respect that it deserves in my opinion. Just take a look here to get a full list of all the different styles and a little background on them. It truly is an amazing field that does not get the appreciation from the general public that it so rightfully should receive.

My Favorites

Out of all the generations of different styles of architectural design, I would have to say that my favorite would have to be from the “dark” and middle age period in America. Some of the castles and buildings that were constructed at such a long time ago are absolutely mind boggling.

The amount of ingenuity and precision that would have to be implemented to make these structures stand is advanced even by today’s competitive standards. It really does amaze me how intelligent the human race was even at a time where they believed witches were real and that demons were the cause of mental illnesses. Hey, they had the best intentions right?

I don’t know what it is about this time period that fascinates me so much but I can’t help it. Although it wasn’t the best times for America, the work that went into these buildings is amazing and should be recognized as a beautiful time as far as the architecture goes.

You might think at this point that someone who loves architecture as much as I do must have a career in it somehow right? Well, as much as I admire their work and wish it were true, the work I do has nothing really to do with architecture and it is just a very strong passion of mine.

Not Cut Out

I really don’t think I have what it takes to make it as a successful architect here in America. Maybe in my home country where the competition isn’t as strong and the educational process isn’t as tedious, but I don’t have the money or the brain power to make it happen here.

I am actually OK with this fact though and don’t ever let it get me down. For the most part, I look at work as work and would never want to lose my appreciation for something because I do it as a job. It has always been a wonder to me whether or not people who say that they love their jobs actually love them and for how long.

I know that I love architecture, but I don’t know how much I would love it if it consumed my life all day every day and my way of living depended on it. For now, I am just happy to be a fan and admirer from a far

Not many people really take the time to think about how much architecture actually affects and benefits their own every day lives, but that is why I am here!

Your Home!

Have you ever stopped and taken a moment to think about how much work and planning has gone into your home? Even if you don’t own your own home and live in an apartment or trailer, there has been a ton of work and planning that has gone into the building. From the basement, to your bathroom, to your attic there were people who put countless hours into preparing and planning the construction of the building to make sure that it can stand tall and withstand anything mother nature can throw at it (well, for the most part).

Buildings All Around

Commercial buildings like the ones mentioned here obviously take the most time and preparation at the early stages. These buildings are made to last forever and will be standing for years after we are all gone. If any of you out there have never been to New York City or Chicago, I strongly encourage you to try and take a trip and see the vast beauty that these amazing buildings hold. They really are a testament to how far we have come as an intelligent species.

Chicago

Although New York is my favorite, Chicago is a very close second on my list and think that it is very underrated as far as the appreciation of architecture in the city. I have visited the beautiful city a number of times throughout my life and every time I have been it did not matter what part of the city I was in or what neighborhood, the buildings in all of them were amazing. You could not walk down any street more than a few blocks without seeing a beautiful church or library that are some of the most amazing you will ever see.

Downtown

I see Chicago in the opposite way that I view New York City. The touristy spots in New York seemed very underrated to me and I appreciated the neighborhoods much more. In Chicago however, I always found the touristy downtown area to be the most amazing and beautiful. The buildings seem so old but are in incredible shape. Almost every skyscraper you see has incredible detail and artwork when you walk up close to it which I don’t think enough people stop to do. I can’t imagine the amount of time and work it took to build just one of those amazing structures.

According to a number of websites and other sources, the Empire State Building is the most well known and respected piece of architecture in America today. I don’t know if I agree with this whole-heartedly but absolutely respect this choice and see why it would top the list at number 1.

New York

What I will say however, is that New York city is definitely my favorite city as a whole when it comes to the architecture it has to offer. You cannot go down a street in Manhattan without spotting a building that can take your breath away.

What I find to be somewhat a shame in regards to New York City is that the majority of tourists and people visiting spend the majority of their time downtown near Times Square, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Although it is definitely a sight to see if you have never been there or to any major city, the real hidden gems and pieces of beauty are all throughout the city and far away from Times Square.

I am not necessarily talking about any famous buildings or monuments, just any buildings that you see throughout the whole city are like none you will ever see anywhere else. I think it is the abundance of architectural work and absolute masterpieces that make New York City my favorite spot to admire and appreciate the engineering that goes into these structures.